


Taking Aim

by realmSpinner



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff and Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-15 19:42:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16069964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realmSpinner/pseuds/realmSpinner
Summary: Kuroo was not aiming for the snarky little carny who insulted his every move.Until he was.





	Taking Aim

“Hello!”

The word was spoken in a cheerful chorus. Four women, all of whom were dressed and made up with obvious care, smiled at him from where they sat on tatami mats. 

Gokons weren't his usual thing. Being a romantic, he never cared for such blind orchestrations, especially when they involved getting drunk as soon as possible. He was sure he'd get some laughs out of his... have a good time, possibly bring someone home. However, that was the limit to his expectations. These were not hunting grounds for finding a real relationship. 

He'd owed his friend a favor, so he was filling in an open spot. 

That was the end of it.

Oh, but the woman on the far left... she was a blonde-haired beauty. He found himself playing favorites immediately. 

“So I know this is kind of breaking tradition,” the blonde-haired beauty started after a single round of drinks. She seemed somewhat shy to bring up the topic, her finger absentmindedly tracing the handle of her mug of beer. Her nails were pretty; long and hot pink. Kuroo found them to be an interesting contrast to her choice of alcohol. “But there's a fair going on just two blocks over and... we'd love it if you'd take us?”

There was a hopeful glint in her eyes as her friends nodded. Kuroo glanced over at his male company, attempting to gauge their initial reactions. The idea probably wasn't ideal to them, but it was pretty clear that the girls had planned to ask this from the start.

“Sounds like a great idea!” One of the guys agreed. The girls smiled widely, and Kuroo's mood upped itself another notch.

Maybe this wasn't going to turn into a drunken one-night stand kind of deal. Maybe he had a legitimate chance with the blonde-haired beauty.

Before they left the bar and restaurant, Kuroo made sure to saunter up to her.

“It's a little chilly, isn't it? If you get cold, I can lend you my jacket,” Kuroo offered with a grin. She gave him a small grin in return, and nodded.

Kuroo did not miss the fact she walked next to him as they made their way down the streets and to the fair.

An entire street was shut down, blocked by plastic partitions. Lanterns hung from strings laced this way and that, lighting up the crowds, tents, and vendors below. There was a constant stream of background chatter and the smell of freshly cooked foods that welcomed them to the festivities. Being a gentleman, of course, Kuroo offered to pay for whatever game the girls chose to participate in first. 

His blonde-haired beauty was not the best shot, but she looked so cutely embarrassed that Kuroo didn't mind.

It was after a few more games and a stop at a face-painting stand, where one of the girls got a flower drawn on her cheek, that she made the comment that would change the course of Kuroo's night.

“Look at those bears!” She exclaimed, pointing one of those hot pink nails at one of the stalls. There was a row of rather large, very fluffy-looking bears hanging on the backdrop of a ball-toss game. The bears came in a variety of color schemes, smiling down on all the guests who passed. “They are so cute!”

Kuroo knew when to take a hint.

“Then I'll win one for you, pretty lady,” Kuroo said flirtatiously. All of the girls giggled at this, one daring to ask him to win one for her, too. Kuroo sauntered up to the stand, retrieving his wallet, ready to pay for a couple shots.

He thought the fact there was no line was just luck on their part. They had walked over to this stall at the right time. He soon began rethinking the thought, though, when he laid eyes on the person running the stall. 

Nothing was particularly wrong with the man, himself. Short blond hair, black-rimmed glasses, and wearing the proper uniform. What was wrong, though, was the complete lack of interest or courtesy. The man was facing away from the counter, a pair of earphones in his ears. His eyes were closed, and Kuroo almost thought him asleep, but then noticed his thumb clicking through different songs on the MP3 player he held. He was hard-pressed to believe anyone could sleep in the excitement around them, anyway.

“Excuse me,” Kuroo said, raising his voice just a little, to be sure he was heard. 

The blond didn't budge.

Kuroo threw a look back at his group and then tried again.

“Excuse me!” Kuroo said, even louder. This time the blond's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes opening, and Kuroo found himself confronted with one of the most testy expressions he'd ever had the pleasure of receiving.

“What?” The guy asked. 

What.

Like he couldn't fathom why a customer was coming up to his stall.

Kuroo waved the money in his hand.

“I'd like to play,” Kuroo said, staying cordial. The blond sighed and tugged the earphones out of his ears rather reluctantly. 

'Brat' was the word that surfaced in Kuroo's mind. However, with an audience behind him, and especially because he was set on impressing a girl, Kuroo bit his cheek.

“Two-hundred yen for three balls,” the man droned. He stood, and Kuroo noticed with growing irritation that he was a tad taller. They made the exchange, and with three plastic balls in his hands, Kuroo eyed the assortment of glass bottles in front of him. The only ones worth anything were the bottles with the colored rims. There was a single bottle toward the left-center with a multi-colored rim, which awarded the biggest prize.

The biggest prize happened to be that huge bear his blonde-haired beauty wanted.

So be it.

“Here we go,” Kuroo mumbled beneath his breath. Underhanded, he aimed, and tossed. The first ball knocked off the rims with several clinks, eventually landing in a bottle without a rim. 

“Aww,” came a low chorus from behind him. 

“I got it, I got it,” Kuroo assured. He aimed again, but the same thing repeated itself two more times. There was a snort.

“You made me pause my music for that?” The carny remarked. Kuroo felt his hackles rise, and he cast a glare at the offending man. Who was this guy, and who in their right mind would ever let him run a stall?

“Again,” Kuroo demanded, handing over another two-hundred yen. The other shrugged, taking his money and handing over more balls.

He managed to sink one into a yellow-rimmed bottle, but that only allowed him to choose from the smallest prizes, which were light-up rings.

“I'd stop while you're ahead. Just a suggestion, though,” the blond taunted, his voice muffled slightly by the way his cheek was smushed against a fist.. The way he said it, the words honey sweet but laced with something tart, made Kuroo unable to back down. He handed over another two-hundred yen, strangely satisfied to see the blond look annoyed that he was hanging around.

“I really appreciate it, but it's alright. A lot of these games are rigged,” the blonde-haired beauty tried to console him. She patted him on the arm. 

“I can get it. Just you watch,” Kuroo said with a burst of confidence. His cheerful demeanor immediately dropped when he turned back to the carny. “Nothing's stopping you from going back to your music, you know.”

“But you kind of are. By continuing to play,” was the unamused response.

“Sorry to interrupt your job. I hope they aren't paying you to be a little brat,” Kuroo said, all pretenses of keeping up his kind facade out of the window. There was a flash of surprise that ran across those honey-brown eyes. 

Then, an amused smile played across pale lips.

“I actually get a percentage of the earnings, so thank you for donating to my brat fund,” the blond quipped. 

Kuroo kind of wanted to throw one of his balls at the guy's face. 

He didn't, though, because he was better than that. And, he needed those balls to try to win that damn bear, whose cute little smile seemed nothing but taunting now. Especially when yet another ball sank into an un-rimmed bottle.

“Try overhanded?” The carny suggested. As if the words had a physical impact on his arm, Kuroo followed the instructions. The plastic bounced so hard off of a rim that it ricocheted plum out of the bottles' reach and onto the floor. The cutting laugh, short and condescending, made Kuroo realize the suggestion was never meant to be genuine advice.

It was stupid, really. He was paying for this and truly trying to get a cute bear for the girl he fancied. Still, the next ball he threw was purposefully overhanded and angled in such a way that it bounced back in the carny's direction.

It barely grazed the dark red color of the carny's uniform. The damage a hollow, plastic ball could do was minimal at best, but the recognition that the move had been intentional was clear on the carny's face. It gave Kuroo a certain sense of satisfaction, especially when he delved into his wallet and produced yet another two-hundred yen. He made note of the name tag on the striped shirt, just in case he ended up launching himself over the counter in a rush of frustrated adrenaline, or something.

Tsukishima.

“Whoops,” Kuroo spoke, trying to appear the definition of innocent. He lifted his fourth installment for the man behind the counter to take. “I don't think overhanded is going to work.”

Tsukishima held his gaze for a moment that seemed too long, challenging, before taking the money.

“Shame,” the carny drolled. He placed the money into a metal tin with the rest of Kuroo's donations, and then grabbed the next three balls. There was the smallest hints of a smile twitching at the corner's of his lips as he handed them over. “Underhanded doesn't seem to be working very well for you, either.”

He was still being insulted. That was clear to see. However, the offense that had Kuroo on edge earlier was starting to fizzle out. In its place spawned an overwhelming urge to win. Not just at the game, but also against that mischievous twinkle in Tsukishima's eyes.

He much preferred this expression to the ill-tempered one he'd first experienced.

Another failed attempt had him transfixed on the way the carny's smirk grew, until a soft touch was back on his arm. He shifted his attention back to the woman he'd offered his jacket to.

“We're going to get some roasted chestnuts. Maybe we can try this again later?” She asked. It was polite, but pointed. A quick glance at his companions proved they were ready to move on, their bodies halfway turned away from the ball-toss stall. Kuroo understood. He was the only one playing, even if the girls had been the ones to beg for a bear. 

Still, couldn't they see that his pride was on the line, here?!

“... you guys go get those chestnuts. I'll meet you there, _with_ a bear,” Kuroo replied, boastful in his delivery. There was laughter from the group, laughter that didn't quite reach the woman closest to him. She tried to hide her disappointment and let her fingers slide away from his arm. Kuroo felt a light twinge of guilt because of it, but he didn't let it affect his mood. He waved good-bye to them and then turned a sharp focus back on the bottles.

“... wow,” the carny drawled, when it was only the two of them left. “You're kind of an idiot.”

Kuroo scowled when his third ball sank into yet another yellow-rimmed bottle.

“Why? Don't think I can keep my promise?” Kuroo huffed, reaching for more money. Tsukishima held out a box of light-up rings for him to choose for, but Kuroo promptly ignored them. Tsukishima shrugged and set the box back down.

“Well, no, I don't,” Tsukishima replied, exchanging the money for the plastic. “But that's not why I called you an idiot.”

“Enlighten me,” Kuroo pressed.

“First, for turning down warm chestnuts. Second, that girl was clearly into you,” Tsukishima said, going back to smushing his cheek against a closed fist. It made his glasses rise on one side, setting them off-kilter. 

“Don't care for them. And don't you think that's precisely the reason I should surprise her by winning the bear fair and square?” Kuroo replied. He tried to close one eye this time, rearing his hand back to toss.

“If you say so,” Tsukishima said, the words laced with disbelief. Kuroo tossed a ball, watching it bounce until it landed in-between the bottles. 

“What about you?” Kuroo asked.

“What?” Tsukishima replied. Kuroo took his attention away from the board for a moment, two balls still in his hands.

“You look about as happy to be here as a kid at a dentist. What gives?” Kuroo inquired. He watched as the carny's nose scrunched up. There was a pause, as though he were debating whether or not to answer. Kuroo returned to the game, trying to scoot a little closer. Tsukishima shot him a glare when his arm extended beyond the counter, and he ruefully retracted it, glaring at the bottles that were denying him his prize.

“My brother was supposed to be doing this,” Tsukishima finally answered. He paused to snort when Kuroo missed another shot. “He had to cancel last minute and begged me to come in his place.”

“Hey, that's pretty much what happened to me tonight,” Kuroo said. He chose to launch his last ball with no finesse, thinking maybe he'd been trying too hard this whole time and that was his downfall. Unfortunately not, for the ball sank into an un-rimmed bottle. This time, Tsukishima reached for more balls before Kuroo even touched his wallet. “A guy I know needed a fourth dude for their gokon and I ended up here.”

Maybe it was because Tsukishima had made the remark about warm chestnuts, but this time, when he exchanged money for plastic, his fingers brushed the carny's. The pale skin was cold. Briefly, Kuroo entertained the idea of offering his jacket to him, but there were too many uncertain variables. He was, dare he say it, having a good time being here with Tsukishima. Destroying that with something that could be taken the wrong way or perceived in a bad light wasn't what Kuroo was aiming for.

What he _was_ aiming for was that damn multi-colored rim, which his next ball bounced right off of. He cringed.

“A little rude to ditch them, then, wasn't it?” Tsukishima asked.

“Hey, now, didn't _they_ ditch _me_?” Kuroo quipped.

“Because of your stupid obsession with this game? Yeah, maybe,” Tsukishima said with a smirk.

“This game is what's stupid,” Kuroo growled. He tossed his final ball into the air, hearing it clink, clink, clink, before falling in-between the bottles again. He clenched his fists. “Argh, I'm starting to think it really is rigged!”

A laugh came from the carny. This one wasn't snarky or a huff, but a genuine laugh. It stretched his mouth wide and squinted his eyes, and even though it didn't last long, it made the corner's of Kuroo's own lips quirk upwards.

When he didn't have a grouchy frown on his face, Tsukishima was pretty cute.

Kuroo let that thought settle. Maybe he had a thing for blonds.

“Don't blame your mishaps on the game,” Tsukishima snarked. Sighing dramatically, Kuroo delved into his wallet again.

He came up short.

“Ah, shoot,” Kuroo mumbled, realizing he had no more bills.

“Oh, did he finally go broke?” Tsukishima asked. Kuroo threw him a half-hearted glare.

“There has to be an ATM around here somewhere, right?” Kuroo asked. Tsukishima's eyebrows flew up.

“Seriously?” Tsukishima asked.

“Of course. I told you, I _will_ get that bear,” Kuroo assured. Tsukishima stared at him before shaking his head in further disbelief. He lifted a finger and pointed.

“Head down that way. Should be on the right,” Tsukishima offered. Kuroo took a step and then stopped, turning back around.

“Not gonna run off on me, are you?” Kuroo asked. This time, those eyebrows furrowed.

“I'm unfortunately stuck here until midnight,” Tsukishima replied. Kuroo grinned at the knowledge before sprinting off to find the ATM. As Tsukishima had said, it was about two blocks down, on the right. Coincidentally, it sat right across the street from the roasted chestnuts stall that the rest of his group had left him for. 

He couldn't see anyone he knew in sight. 

Still, after collecting his money, he scurried over to buy a bag of the warm nuts. With them in hand, he tightly closed the top and sprinted his way back to the ball-toss game.

He saw Tsukishima before Tsukishima saw him. The blond was leaning against the counter, looking as bored as always, but he hadn't reached for his abandoned MP3 player again. It may have been wishful thinking, but it kind of looked like the carny was waiting for his return.

The thought was a happy one.

“Here you go,” Kuroo said, handing over the two-hundred yen along with the bag of chestnuts. Tsukishima blinked at the items.

“... ran into your crew?” Tsukishima hazarded a guess, leaving the chestnuts alone for now. He took the money and added it to his tin. Kuroo wondered if he'd been telling the truth when the blond had said he got part of the earnings.

“Yep. They bought these for me. Like I said, I don't care for them, so you can have them,” Kuroo said, lying through his teeth. After handing over the balls, Tsukishima finally picked up the package, taking a moment to hold it against his face. There was a little sigh of contentment at the warmth, and Kuroo bit back a smile so he could concentrate on the game.

The night continued in much the same way. Tsukishima made his cutting remarks and Kuroo retaliated. Topics of conversation would pop up and fade away. With the carny actually at the front of the booth, other carnival-goers stopped by, and Kuroo would have to wait his turn to play again. At one point, Tsukishima ended up throwing a chestnut at him, hitting him in the chest. He said it was payback for Kuroo's little stunt earlier.

“You're petty,” Kuroo'd said.

“I'm a delight,” Tsukishima'd responded.

Kuroo's laugh was loud and ugly.

As strong as Kuroo's will to succeed was, he couldn't deny he was spending a ridiculous amount of money at this carnival stall. When it came down to his last two-hundred yen, he knew he'd be downright insane to go back to the ATM. 

He handed the last of his money over reluctantly.

“I'm not going to run into you on the corner with a sign begging for money after this, am I?” Tsukishima teased. While that wasn't an ideal scenario, Kuroo was kind of hoping Tsukishima would run into him again someday. That'd be a sign of fate, right? Kuroo would take it as one, because he was mushy like that.

“I hope not. Bills are probably going to be a little tight,” Kuroo played along. 

His first shot went skidding between bottles.

His second shot sank into yet another yellow-rimmed bottle.

Before his third shot, he said a little prayer to the Heavens above. His fingertips tingled as the plastic vanished from between them. The ball went soaring through the air, flying, dropping, spinning round and round the rim of the multi-colored rim, before-

It dropped straight in.

There was a moment of time when Kuroo gaped, before triumph boiled up and rushed through his veins.

“YES!” Kuroo yelled, loudly. He jumped up, pumping a fist high into the air before twirling around.

“Unbelievable.”

He heard Tsukishima mutter it, and spun back around excitedly. The carny was shaking his head, but definitely smiling. Kuroo was grinning so hard that it was hurting his cheeks.

“I TOLD you!” Kuroo exclaimed, still vibrating. Tsukishima chuckled and tossed him a defeated look.

“You also said the game was rigged,” Tsukishima reminded him, one last dig before he pushed himself off the counter. “Congrats. Which one?”

Kuroo tore his gaze off of Tsukishima to the different colored bears above. There was a bright pink one, one that immediately reminded him of the girl's nails.

“... which one do you like most?” Kuroo ventured, attention back on Tsukishima. 

“Hm,” Tsukishima hummed, turning his head this way and that to look at his options. “The cream-colored one isn't as loud.”

“Get me that one,” Kuroo responded. As if just now remembering his manners, he added a, “Please.”

Tsukishima grabbed a stool and stepped up on it in order to take the bear off the hook it hung from. It was large, even in Tsukishima's hold. It's feet dragged against the counter as Tsukishima handed it over.

Kuroo's earlier suspicions were confirmed true. It was a very soft bear. This realization happened just as quickly as the toy's stay in his hands. The mass of fluff was pressed back into Tsukishima's hold, whose arms came back up to hold it on instinct. There was a question in the blond's eyes, tinged with a suspicion that Kuroo didn't blame him for having.

He grinned at Tsukishima, regardless.

"For you,” Kuroo assured, making sure the blond had a true hold of the stuffed animal before retracting his hands. Tsukishima's eyebrows flew upwards. “I had more fun here than I would have with those guys.”

It was a little awkward to admit. Maybe a little embarrassing, too. Definitely shocking, if the look Tsukishima was giving him was anything to go by.

"... what you consider fun is probably a little odd,” Tsukishima managed, still looking like he wasn't sure how to respond to this new predicament. He broke eye contact with Kuroo to look down at the bear in his arms. 

Maybe Kuroo imagined it, but he could have sworn the blond's hold on the bear grew tighter.

"But you had fun, too,” Kuroo insisted. “You looked pissed at the world when I walked up here, but I got you laughing."

“It WAS fun to watch you fail spectacularly,” Tsukishima admitted, still holding on to his snide attitude, even as confusion still danced in his eyes. They were really pretty eyes. Kuroo hoped his next move wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass.

“Want to watch me fail spectacularly again? Maybe during dinner and a movie?" Kuroo ventured, trying to swallow the sudden nerves coaxing his body to fidget. 

For a moment, Tsukishima's lips parted. Then, they snapped shut, forming a wobbly frown.

“That's about the worse way I've ever been asked out,” Tsukishima bluntly snapped. This time, Kuroo definitely did not imagine his arms sinking deeper into the plush, tightening his hold. 

He didn't imagine the gentle flush that ran across the bridge of Tsukishima's nose, either.

In fact, that very thing made this entire exchange worth it. Even if he was going way out on a limb here, trying to pursue someone who had little interest in him, he'd managed to make the grumpy blond blush. He'd be content with that.

“I aim to please,” Kuroo admonished, finger guns and all.

“Your aim is shit,” Tsukishima pointed out.

“The stuffed bear in your arms says otherwise,” Kuroo countered. Tsukishima's scowl deepened.

“You're being persistent,” Tsukishima accused.

“Because you're really cute,” Kuroo replied. Sure, he'd be content leaving Tsukishima with a blush, but he'd be kind of ecstatic if he left with more. 

The snort that came from the blond could almost be considered a disguised laugh.

“Oh, you're blind. Now your awful tossing makes more sense,” Tsukishima quipped, trying his hardest at a deadpanned expression. He was really very good at it.

Kuroo shrugged. He leaned his hip against the counter, crossed his arms, and narrowed his eyes at the carny.

“I'm having a hard time figuring out if you're politely telling me no, or you're just being your snarky self,” Kuroo admitted.

“I'm having a hard time figuring out why you're asking someone out who has done nothing but insult you all night,” Tsukishima countered.

“Okay. While you work that out, do you have a pen?” Kuroo asked. It was fun to watch the carny grow more and more perplexed. Even so, Tsukishima handed him a pen.

He startled when Kuroo took hold of his arm, turning it over to reveal the pale underside. Sliding the pen across his skin, Kuroo took great care in neatly writing his phone number. He dared a glance up at Tsukishima, seeing him staring down at his arm in quiet surprise. 

He never once tried to pull away.

Maybe that's what gave Kuroo the guts to quickly draw three circles, a target, on the back of his hand. Tsukishima raised an eyebrow at that, and Kuroo bit back a grin as he brought the carny's hand up to his lips.

He kissed the target he'd drawn.

Tsukishima's eyes widened, and he quickly snatched his hand away from Kuroo's hold.

“See, my aim's not _that_ terrible,” Kuroo ascertained, his own heart doing a flip. He tossed the pen on the counter and gave Tsukishima a salute. “Call me if you want!”

He left an open-mouthed Tsukishima standing at the stall as he jogged away from the carnival. The adrenaline made it hard to sleep that night, and the hope blooming in his chest made it hard to focus the next day.

When he received a text from an unknown number, he was a little surprised to see a picture of the huge bear he'd given Tsukishima last night, with a random guy using the stuffed animal's stomach as a pillow.

 **Unknown Number > **My brother has taken it hostage.

Kuroo grinned, quickly typing back.

 **You > **It's sad to call him an it. You should give him a name.

 **Unknown Number > **That's rich, coming from you.  
**Unknown Number > **You do realize you never gave me your name, right?

Kuroo stared at the text, image after image of last night flashing through his mind, trying to recall saying his name. He barked a laugh when he realized it was true. 

He'd asked someone out without even giving his name.

But that wasn't what was important here. What was important was that he'd given Tsukishima his phone number, and Tsukishima had texted him.

Tsukishima _wanted_ to know his name.

Grinning, Kuroo typed.

 **You > ** Kuroo Tetsurou.  
**You > ** And the dinner and a movie offer still stands but uh  
**You > ** It might have to wait until my next payday?

 **Tsukishima <3 > ** Idiot.

**Author's Note:**

> So many 'balls' and 'nuts' and 'rims' for a T rated story hahaha.


End file.
